Hollow Point
by RinSabreDelta
Summary: Kaiya finds herself on SHIELD's radar, and agrees to help them on one condition: she's not an agent, she's a freelancer. When things begin to go wrong for her, she's forced to turn to them for help.
1. Chapter 1

_Silence. Stillness. Breathe._ Kaiya had been laying in this position for hours, and yet she ignored her stiff muscles. Her target finally came into view, and she counted down in her head before giving the trigger a gentle tug. The shot rang out, dropping the target almost instantly. Within moments she was standing, collapsing her rifle and stowing it in a workout bag. She was out before the police could even tape off the area.

The next day, she watched the news coverage of the assassination, waiting for any sign that they had any leads. True to form, she'd left nothing behind to trace to her or the men who'd hired her. Satisfied with her end of the job, she sent an encrypted email to the man who'd hired her and started packing up her nest. She felt it before she heard it; someone had entered her temporary home. Slipping the knife from her table, she padded towards the door, listening closely. Sure enough, the sound of boots could be heard down below. Kaiya moved to grab her bag, pulling on her running shoes and heading for the window. The boots were moving closer now, hurrying up the stairs; she took that as her cue. Sliding out the window, she climbed down to street level carefully before starting down the street. _Walk, don't run…_ Pulling on shades, she strode with casual confidence down the street, intent to make the corner to her bike without detection. That plan went out the window as an arrow hit her bag. She looked at it incredulously, eyes darting behind the tinted pieces of plastic. An arrow; attached appeared to be a Bluetooth headset. Well, this just got interesting. She slipped it into her ear, eyes still looking around for the shooter.

"Place the bag on the ground and put your hands above your head." It was a strong male voice, one that seemed far more familiar than she'd care to admit. "We don't wanna hurt you, we just want to talk." She wasn't a fool; whoever this was, they were planning to take her in to whatever secret base or bunker had sent them. She gave a small shake of her head as an answer. "That wasn't really a request." She hoisted her back and took off at a run, only stumbling when more arrows slammed into her duffle. Whoever it was clearly didn't want her dead, and that made her smile. She rounded the corner, leaping onto her bike and slamming her helmet on before peeling away, ripping arrows off as she rode.

Panting, Agent Barton gave chase for all of a few feet before deeming it useless. Agent Romanoff came up next to him, frowning angrily at the fleeing woman. He turned away as the bike rounded a corner, tapping at his watch a few times before sighing into his comm piece.

"Asset Hollow Point lost, sir. Returning to HQ." Barton ended the transmission before Fury could rip them a new one. Romanoff gave him a knowing look as they returned to their vehicle and headed back to the office. Already, this day was turning out worse than they expected.


	2. Chapter 2

Kaiya found herself in the unique position of being chased down by a celebrity. Granted, that celebrity was Captain America, and she knew he would easily overtake her, but she couldn't help but be a bit proud. Sliding over a car hood and vaulting a bench, she idly wondered how long she could keep this up. She almost saw the other man step out too late. He wore all black with a half face mask, the glint of silver shining off his arm. Kaiya's eyes widened in recognition, and she was quick to try and spin around him.

 _The Winter Soldier._

This was bad, very bad. If the Ghost was after her, then she had really pissed someone off. He made a grab for her arm, and she swung around with her fist. He leaned back out of the way as the Captain reached them, and she swung again. As Winter stepped back, the Captain came towards her, swinging his own fist around. She took the shot to the side, ignoring the pain that bloomed there. She swung at him next, but found herself pulled against the solid body armor of Winter. A cold arm locked in place around her waist, and she used the larger man as leverage to kick to the Captain's stomach. She was rewarded with a grunt from the blonde before he gripped her ankles tightly.

"Ma'am, we're gonna need you to calm down." She glared at the Captain even as she tried to free her legs. If they were going to kill her, it would be great if they simply got on with it. He huffed, wrapping one large arm around her legs and leaning closer. "Calm down! We're not here to hurt you." Between her throbbing side and the infamous assassin pinning her, she had very little reason to believe him. He pressed a hand to his ear, speaking quickly. "Asset acquired, request pick up." Kaiya stopped struggling then, much to his apparent relief. She needed to think, and the best way to do that was in captivity. Not long after the call, a strange looking jet lowered nearby, and she was carried on by the larger men. /they waited until the vehicle was in the air to release her into a seat. She looked around carefully, taking note of any exits and possible weapons. Winter sat across from her as the Captain took a seat by her side. "Alright, we'll start slow. Tell us your name." She arched a brow, not expecting the interrogation to start so soon.

"Hollow Point." There was no sense in giving her real name. They'd find the more pertinent information under the pseudonym. The Captain gave a huff as Winter arched a brow, pulling his mask off and setting it aside. She committed the face to memory, under the off-chance she was able to escape sometime soon.

"An actual name would be nice." He quipped, and it was her turn to arch a brow. An interrogator with some sass; this ought to be fun for her. She was silent for a few more moments, weighing her options, before answering.

"Hollow Point." His frown deepened and he sat back a bit to give her a studious look. Kaiya figured the Captain wasn't the kind of man to beat answers out of a woman, but that didn't mean his metal-armed friend would have the same qualms.

"Fine, moving on. Are you currently on assignment?" This was getting interesting. If they didn't know she was currently on some R & R, then maybe they were here about a previous job. It would be more useful to her to act the stubborn hostage, and see what other information he'd willingly give.

"Anata wa, kyaputen no hijō ni utsukushī me o shite imasu." He looked even angrier now, if that were possible, and she gave a smug grin. In truth, it was a simple compliment to his startlingly blue eyes, but it was clear he didn't realize that. "Anata no yūjin ga aru, sorehodo." That part wasn't entirely true; Winter was actually a fairly good looking man in his own right.

"Jūbun'na. Shitsumon'nikotaeru." Both sets of eyes snapped to the assassin in surprise. He was giving her a bored look, his arms crossed in front of his chest. It was silent for a few moments as she processed his order. Answer the questions; if anything, he brought more to her own mind. Shifting to sit a bit straighter, she nodded.

"Fine. No, I'm not currently on assignment." That seemed to appease the blonde as she turned back towards him. He nodded, seeming to make a mental note. The questions seemed to end there, and she realized he must have someone higher up who would continue the process. She settled in for the ride, wondering just who would be asking the questions when they arrived.

When they arrived, Kaiya was shocked to discover it wasn't an underground base at all. No, it was the famous SHIELD Helicarrier, and she held back a groan. Escaping from this was going to be much more difficult than originally planned, but already she was thinking of an alternative. They lead her inside and left her in a windowless room by herself. She relaxed into the chair provided, pushing it back onto just the back legs and settling her boots on the table. Now, it was a waiting game; one she was intent to win.


	3. Chapter 3

Kaiya had to admit, they had been putting her patience to the test. She lost track of how long she was in the room, but she didn't once move from her spot. When the man finally stepped through the door, she'd only given him her best bored look. He was tall, with dark skin and an eye patch; she had to hold back a snort at the accessory. Kaiya sincerely hoped this wasn't their plan of intimidation. It was certainly going to take more than that. He sat across from her with a rather thin looking file, and leafed through it slowly before speaking.

"I have to admit, Miss Point, you have an impressive track record." His good eye came up to meet hers. "You are certainly an expert marksman, but you have other talents." He pulled out a small stack of photos, and this time she couldn't help the grin on her face. Each shot was a job of a more…personal nature. A few gunshots, one fiery wreckage, and a torture victim. It wasn't over, not by a long shot, but she was proud of those kills. "A bit more messy than your usual, I'd assume, but we're impressed nonetheless."

"And just who are you?" Kaiya couldn't imagine what organization had both the Winter Soldier and Captain America on the same side, but she was certainly curious enough to ask. The man across from her seemed amused by her question, and he leaned back in his chair.

"The Avengers Initiative." She frowned, trying to place the name. She vaguely remembered some big event happening in New York. Come to think of it, she had heard the name a couple times in certain circles. They'd sounded impressive enough, but she was beginning to wonder about that.

"If that were true, you have no reason to bring me into custody." At his raised brow, Kaiya continued. "I'm not out to take over the world or anything like that, so I have no reason to be on your radar."

"There are other ways to end up on our radar, Miss Point." He pulled the photos away and tucked them back into the folder, keeping his eye on her. She leaned forward on the table, silently urging him to hurry up and get to the point. "We were actually hoping to recruit you." That was certainly a surprise, and she considered the offer for a few minutes before shaking her head and leaning back again.

"I don't do oversight." He gave a chuckle, shaking his head a bit. She couldn't imagine why he felt that was funny, but decided against asking.

"We have a couple like that. Don't worry, the only oversight comes during actual missions." She found that exceptionally hard to believe, and moved to stand. He stood as well.

"Honestly, I'm not really willing to take the word of some underling." There was that amused look again. It was getting annoying; she briefly wondered if there was a way to scare it off of him. He moved towards the door, and she followed him slowly.

"Then allow me to introduce myself. Director Fury. Welcome to the Avengers."


	4. Chapter 4

Kaiya didn't remember agreeing to this, and yet here she was in an all out firefight with some organization the team had called Hydra. A shot of blue energy zipped past her head, and she dodged away instinctively. Fury had been right; the organization had left her alone up until they'd called her in for this mission. Even then, it didn't seem like they were trying to micromanage the op. If anything, it appeared Captain America was in charge. And imagine her surprise when she'd met the rest of them: Tony Stark, the Hulk, a witch, and the Black Widow. If nothing else, she was impressed with the sort of people that Fury guy was able to pull in.

"Everyone, make for the bunker." The voice of the Captain sounded in her ear, a bit louder than she would have liked, and she huffed. Pushing a few stray dark hairs out of her eyes, she shot at another Hydra agent coming up on her. She was sure that these bad guys had a never-ending stream of henchmen, but overall it had been an easy mission so far. She strode through the trees, picking off any henchmen who got between her and her goal. She reached the entranced at the same time as Winter and the witch, only to find it sealed tight. "Might want to move, guys." She turned in time to see the Hulk barreling towards them, and she grabbed the witch and dove out of the way. Instinctively, Kaiya shielded the woman from the debris of the Hulk's entrance, and all toon soon the team was moving through the corridors. In no time, the mission was complete, and they were in the jet taking care of injuries.

"If you'd hold still, this wouldn't be so difficult." Kaiya huffed, trying to avoid shifting again as the witch, Wanda, patched her arm. Apparently, shielding from the Hulk was a bad idea, and something she'd have to remember in the future. Wanda gave her an amused as she finished up. "Thank you for pulling me out of the way."

"Yeah, well, you seem like a pretty good asset. It would have sucked to lose you mid-mission." Kaiya had watched as the younger woman had distracted a few heavies with some sort of red magic, and if their screams were to be believed, they'd experienced something really fucked up. It had lasted just long enough for Winter and Black Widow to take them out. Wanda started to pack away the first aid kit.

"Regardless, you have my thanks." One last smile and she left, leaving Kaiya sitting in the back and wishing she at least had a window. It was going to be a long flight back, and she didn't do well with idleness. She moved to the floor and began to dissemble her pistol, pulling a small cleaning pack out of her bag and setting to work. She could already feel herself relaxing into the work; a larger mass sat next to her, drawing her gaze up to the Hulk. Or, rather, than man they called Banner.

"Need something?" She kept her voice low, still a bit unsure about Banner. He seemed innocent enough, and even offered her a smile.

"Just wanted to say welcome. And make sure you're alright." His eyes held a flash of guilt and she softened just a bit. It was clear he blamed himself for a lot of what the Hulk did, even though she had it explained that Banner wasn't in charge during that time.

"I've had way worse, friend." She gave her most charming smile, and he seemed to relax. Satisfied she'd cleaned her gun as much as she could on this plane and started to reconstruct the weapon He watched quietly, clearly curious, and she wasn't about to send him away. Soon enough, they landed back at base and did a quick debriefing with Fury before Kaiya made her escape. The pilot was nice enough to drop her on the roof of her building, and she couldn't wait to soak in a bath and fall asleep. Stepping inside gave her pause. Every piece of furniture was destroyed, every drawer overturned, and in big spray painted letters on her wall was exactly what she expected: " **Stop looking!** "


	5. Chapter 5

Kaiya crossed her arms and shifted her weight, uncomfortable with the number of agents in her apartment. She'd called Fury against her instincts, realizing she might actually need the assistance of the agents at his disposal. He'd arrived with the Captain, Black Widow, Winter, and a small army of investigative technicians. It was rubbing her the wrong way, having them go through her things.

"Any idea what that means?" She turned, surprised to see the brunette assassin leaning on the wall next to her. He hadn't said much to her after that initial meeting, and wondered if he had a motive now.

"Yeah, I know exactly what it means, Winter. Hard to miss."

"Bucky." Her brow furrowed, and he turned to look down at her. "Name's Bucky." He looked a lot different in civilian clothes, and she envied him for a few moments. With this fun new development, there was no need to ditch her combat gear just yet. As soon as all these people left, she was going to finish what she started.

"Bucky. Nice name." He arched a brow as she chuckled. Turning back to the destruction in front of her, she thought about her plan going forward. She had an idea of where to start, but it could be disastrous if she was wrong. It was an entire hour and a half before the agents began filing out of her place, leaving her with Fury and the other team members.

"So, what are we facing here?" Kaiya shook her head at the director's question, already moving towards her weapon stash. She heard a whistle of appreciation as the panel in the wall slid to reveal a collection of rifles, pistols, and shot guns. She began to load up, keeping her back to them.

"We aren't facing anything. I am." She tucked extra ammunition in her go bag next to her favorite rifle and slung it over her shoulder before starting for the door. Fury seemed to accept her answer, having already left with Black Widow. The Captain hesitated before following, leaving her with Bucky.

"We don't mind helping you." Kaiya arched a brow, surprised at the assassin. He really wasn't one to be overly social, so what was bringing all this on? She shook her head, giving him her most confident smile.

"I'll be fine. It's about time I finished this anyway." They walked to the door and he nodded. She waited until they were gone to head out, making her way towards her bike and sending a request to her contact for a flight. Just as she turned the corner, a blinding pain slammed into her head and she saw black.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing she noticed coming to was the pain at the back of her head. Slowly, she gained more awareness of her surroundings. Her mouth was bone dry, and her arms were secured behind what felt like a metal chair. She began to go through a mental checklist, cursing the fact that any sort of thought seemed difficult.

"Good morning, Miss Hamada. I trust you slept well." She stiffened, instantly recognizing the voice behind her. The first thing her mind could come up with was how easy this was turning out to be. Instinctively, she pulled at her bonds, testing their strength and being disappointed to find they were rather tight. Boots made their way around until she was looking into the icy eyes of her number one target: Jason Lafontaine. The kingpin sneered down at her, and she narrowed her eyes. "Are you ready to come home, play nice?" In response, she spat in his face, pleased to see a mix of spittle and blood. He growled, backhanding her and causing her head to snap to one side. Slowly, Kaiya brought her head back up, managing a grin.

"What's the matter, Lafontaine? Can't beat a woman without tying her up first?" Another smack had her giving a pained chuckle. While it may have seemed stupid to instigate the man, she knew it was her best bet to stay alive. He loved a challenge, and got bored about as easily as a toddler. And Lafontaine being bored meant death.

"Come now, we both know I don't want to hurt you." He wandered behind her again, and she strained to keep track of him with her hearing. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a rather gentle squeeze. "I just want you to come home." She ignored the crawling sensation that moved up her spine, staying silent this time as she thought over her options. The hand on her shoulder tightened until it became painful. "Fine. I'll just let Javier have his way then." Her blood ran cold, though she forced herself not to show any outward emotion. If Lafontaine thought he could scare her into agreeing to his terms, he had another thing coming. He stalked out, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Turning, she noted they had tied her with rope instead of zip ties, giving her some hope. It would take patience, but she could get out.

Bucky couldn't remember the last time he'd been this concerned over someone. Granted, he couldn't remember much anyway, but this felt both horribly new and sickeningly familiar. Steve and Fury had been planning, having Natasha out getting reconn and Clint getting their supplies ready for when they had a location. Hollow Point had already been missing too long, and he was beginning to lose patience with waiting around.

"Buck." Steve was there, hand on the other man's shoulder as he stared at the rifle in front of him. Bucky had taken it apart and put it back together more times than he could count, hoping it would have provided some modicum of distraction. Instead, he'd only managed to bore himself mentally, leaving it sitting there. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Any news yet?" If Steve suspected how Bucky really felt, he didn't mention it, instead shaking his head.

"Not yet. Nat thinks she may have found a lead, but it's a long shot." Bucky nodded, looking away. It hit him then, a sudden realization, and he started for the door. Steve, clearly startled, followed along carefully as Bucky packed a go bag. "Whoa, hang on. Where are you going?"

"Natasha isn't the only one with connections. I'll ask around, see what anyone knows." Having direction gave Bucky some much needed drive, and he began to mentally compile a list of who might know what. It would take some time to check with them all, so he could only hope he got lucky with the first few informants. He headed for the door with his bag, only pausing when Steve put his hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, I'll come with you." Bucky shook his head and Steve huffed. "Buck-"

"You need to be here to get the team ready for when Natasha or I find Hollow Point." Bucky could see Steve struggling to agree, and was relieved when he finally did. Bucky hurried out, grabbing his bike from the garage and speeding off. He'd find out where Hollow Point was and he'd bring her back.


End file.
